Volleyball Returns to State

Facing an uphill battle just to reach the state tournament
after a second-round loss to the Craig Panthers, the Mt. Edgecumbe High School
Lady Braves won three straight matches Saturday at the Region V volleyball
tournament to claim their fourth straight 3A Southeast title, their fifth in
six years.

After beating Sitka High in a five-game state play-in match
Saturday morning in Ketchikan, the Lady Braves won two straight over Craig,
including a five-game finale, to hold their perch atop the Southeast volleyball
world.

“They wanted a regional championship and they went out and
got it,” MEHS coach Rich Calkins said today. “The girls really, really stepped
up, it was nice to see.”

The Lady Braves entered the tournament as the top seed after
compiling an 11-1 conference record in the regular season. They beat Petersburg
to open the tournament, but fell to Craig 3-0 (23, 25-22 and 26-24) Friday
night. The loss meant that Mt. Edgecumbe had to win three straight matches
Saturday to retain the 3A Southeast title.

First up was Sitka High. The Lady Wolves beat Wrangell to
open the tournament, and then lost 3-1 to Craig Thursday night. But SHS
regrouped, beating Haines and Petersburg to advance to Saturday’s showdown with
cross-town rival Mt. Edgecumbe.

With a trip to the state tournament on the line, Edgecumbe
and Sitka played their third five-game match of the season. The Lady Wolves
went ahead 1-0 with a 25-20 win, before the Lady Braves evened the match with
their own 25-20 victory. The Lady Braves put Sitka on the brink of elimination
with a 25-13 win in the third game, but Sitka forced a fifth and final game
with a 25-18 win that left the match 2-2. The Lady Braves took the rubber game
15-9 to win the match.

It was the third time the two local schools met this season,
and each match-up went the distance. The Lady Wolves pushed Edgecumbe to five
games early in the season before ending Mt. Edgecumbe’s 58-game conference
winning streak with a five-game win on senior night at Sitka High. The loss
Saturday eliminated the Lady Wolves, while Mt. Edgecumbe secured a trip north
to the state tournament.

Calkins said the celebration after the win over Sitka was
subdued. The Lady Braves had locked up a state berth, but they had work to do.

“That wasn’t their goal,” Calkins said of making the state
tournament. “I don’t think they were satisfied.”

The Braves had to beat Craig twice to win the double
elimination tournament and they got things started with a 3-0 win (25-16, 25-21
and 25-22) that set up a true Region V championship game. This time the Lady
Panthers did not go quietly. Edgecumbe was serving with a 24-23 lead in the
first game, before Craig rallied to win 28-26. Trailing 1-0 in the match, the
Lady Braves took the next game 25-17. After a pair of 25-23 games, one each for
Edgecumbe and Craig, the match was even 2-2. The Lady Braves fell behind 7-2 in
the final game and trailed 11-7 before rallying for a 15-11 win.

Calkins said he had stressed to his team that winning three
straight matches was an achievable goal, and that’s just what the Lady Braves
did as they once again brought a Southeast title back to Japonski Island.

“They believed it and they came out and proved it,” Calkins
said.

Edgecumbe advanced to the state tournament as the top seed
out of Southeast, while the Craig Panthers will also make a trip to Wasilla
this week.

The Lady Braves will play Barrow Thursday. Also in their
bracket are Seward and Monroe Catholic. Craig will face Dillingham in the
opening round at state, with Grace Christian and Delta Junction also in the
Lady Panthers’ bracket.

Calkins said today he doesn’t know too much about the Lady
Whalers, Edgecumbe’s first-round opponent. He said Grace Christian was probably
the best team out of Anchorage, but the state tournament generally comes down
to who gets hot at the right time.

“I like our chances just as well as anybody’s,” Calkins
said.

Calkins said a lot of the credit for Edgecumbe’s success
should go to his assistant coaches: Brenda Calkins and Archie Young.